DOCUMENT RESUME ED 348 437 UD 028 794 TITLE … · TITLE Educating Homeless Children and Youth: How Are We. ... and youth and a summary of the existing bathers and ... community leaders,

DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 348 437 UD 028 794

TITLE Educating Homeless Children and Youth: How Are WeMeasuring Up? A Progress Report, School Year

1990-91.

INSTITUTION Maryland State Dept. of Education, Baltimore. Div. ofCompensatory Education and Support Services.

PUB DATE 92

NOTE Slp.

PUB TYPE Reports Evaluative/Feasibility (142)

EDRS PRICE MF0100O3 Plus Pr.stage.

DESCRIPTORS *Compensatory Education; *Disadvantaged Youth;*Economically Disadvantaged; Educational Environment;Educational Legislation; *EducationallyDisadvantaged; Elementary School Students; ElementarySecondary Education; Equal Education; FederalPrograms; *Homeless People; Low Income Groups; PublicEducation; Secondary School Students; *Special NeedsStudents; State Programs

IDENTIFIERS *Maryland; Progress Reporting

ABSTRACTThis report measures how well Maryland educators are

working together to provide a public education that meets the long-

and short-term needs of homeless children and youth by providing

environments that support their physical, social, and emotional

growth. It outlines accomplishments for the 1990-91 school year,recommends ways of addressing issues in the 1990 McKinney ActAmendments (MAAs), provides a statewide profile of the numbers of

homeless children and youth, summarizes barriers and special needs of

homeless children, and provides data about the circumstances and

needs of school-age children who live apart from their families with

relatives and/or friends. Profiles of interviewed mothers describethe pain and stress that homeless children and their families face

daily, and excerpts from children's letters reveal the children's

feelings during this time of crisis. This report updates legislative

requirements in the 1990 MAAs, explains school districts' obligations

under Section 504 to identify and locate handicapped homeless

children and youth, reviews Chapter 1 policy for the eligibility of

homeless children, highlights the Mandatory Kindergarten Law's impact

for homeless parents and their 5-year-old children, explains the

School Health Services Standards' Physical Examination Requirement,

and provides data about Exemplary Practices. Data are given in six

figures and numerous tables. (RLC)

***********************************%***********************************Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made

from the priginal document.***********************************************************************

Educating Homeless Children and Youth:

How Are We Measuring Up?

"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THISMATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

TO THE E DUCATION 1..1 RESOURCESORMATfON CENTER (ERIC)

U e DEPARTMENT Of EDUCATIONOffice of E. ducat.ortat Reiman-a and Improvement

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER IERIC)

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A Progress ReportSchool Year 1990-91

MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

MARYLAND STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION ME1113ERS

Robert C. Embry, Jr. PresidentJohn C. Sprague, Vice PresidentHerbert FincherDonald P. HutchinsonElmer B. KarlinRose La PlacaJoan C. MaynardHarry D. ShapiroEdrnonia T. YatesJonathan Sims, Student Member

Nancy S. GrasmickSecretary-Treasurer of The BoardState Superintendent of Schools

Bonnie S. CopelandDeputy State Superintendent of Schools

Ellen D. GonzalesAssistant State SuperintendentDivision of Compensatory Education and Support Services

Mary K. AlbrittainBranch ChiefPupil Services

Peggy Jackson-JobeCoordinatorEducation for Homeless Children and Youth

William Donald Schaefer, Governor

3BEST CCPY AVAIASLI:

Educating Homeless Children and Youth

How Are We Measuring Up?

A Progress Report

School Year 1990-91

Maryland State Department of Education

Division of Compensatory Education and Support ServicesPupil Services Branch

200 W. Baltimore StreetBaltimore, Maryland 21201-2595

(410) 333-2445

ContentsPage

Introduction 1

Measuring Our Progress 3

AccomplishmentsRecommendations

Maryland's Homeless Children and Youth . . 6

Excerpts from Children's Letters

An Investigation of School Aged ChildrenLiving With Relatives and/or Friends

Statistical Data, Barriers, and Special Needs

Legislative Update 29

1990 McKinney Act Amendments

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Chapter I Policy: Eligibility of Homeless Children

Mandatory Kindergarten-Minimum Age

School Health Services Standards: Physical Examination Requirement

Exemplary Practices 33

Students Helping Students Initiatives

Local School District's Exemplary Practices

Lesson Plans: What Does It Mean To Be Homeless?

Introduction

DAISY, 9, has lived in the

Greentree Shelter, part of the Baptist Home

for Children, for twelve months with hermother, brother, and sister. The shelter isin Montgomery Couruy, Maryland, justoutside of Washington, D.C. Her father isstaying with relatives. Both parents camefrom Cuba, as part qf the Mariel Boat lift.

I don't know where I want to live--

a safe place. Not D.C. At a lot of placesin D.C. there are drugs, killings, shooting.I seen this on TV and sometimes I go pastit.

[The shelter not bad and notgood. Not bad is 'cause of the people.They take us fun places. Once they took us

to King's Dominion and the zoo. What'svery bad is the food. We have soup overand over.

There's a lot of fighting here.There's this boy, he moved, he was fightingwith everyone. He had a fight with me. He

almost had a tight with my sister. Very

bad. The first day they moved, everyonewas so happy.

Math is hard for me. Spelling iseasy and hard. It's kind of easy because myteacher gives me easy words. 'Cause weare OP purple group, the lower group. Ilike tilt red group 'cause they get betterwords. Like "happy." "Sad," that's apurple word. The red group gets compoundwords, like "something," "anything."

never be in the BBQ group.never pass that. BBQ is the hardest--dictionary, different, a lot of words--thirteen[letters] long.

I could tell everybody in the wholeschool [that I live in the shelter] and I don'treally care, cause I'm not really differentthan them. I can still write, read, go toschool, and learn. I'm not so different fromthem.

I get shy. Because when I was inthird grade my teacher made me stand infront of the classroom telling where did Ilive, how did I feel there, all these

questions.Interview conducted by Karin

Chenoweth, A freelance writer.

The education of homeless children, like Daisy, continues to be a challenge to educators,

parents, providers, advocates, and our legislators. Because of the lack of low income housing

and other issues such as unemployment, underemployment, domestic violence, divorce, child

abuse, teen pregnancy, and substance abuse, thousands of Maryland's children have found

themselves living in shelters, cars, abandoned buildings, campgrounds, and in many other

temporary settings not suitable for regular human habitation. Many of our children whoexperienced homelessness tliis year lost more than their homes. Many lost their furniture, their

pets, their toys and their playmates as they became uprooted in search of a permanent place to

live.

This progress report measures how well we are working together to provide a public

education that meets both the long- and short-term needs of our homeless children and youth by

providing an environment that supports their physical, social, and emotional growth. It outlines

1

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our accompliements for school year 1990-91 and makes recommendations for addressingspecific issues identified in the 1990 McKinney Act Amendments. The 'Statistical Data,Barriers, and Special Needs" provides a statewide profile of the numbers of homeless childrenand youth and a summary of the existing bathers and special needs of our homeless children.However, the "Investigation of School-Aged Children Living With Relativts and/or Friends*provides information regarding the circumstances and needs of children who are living apartfrom their families with relatives and/or friends. The profiles of the mothers intervieweddescribe the pain and stress that homeless children and their families encountzr on a daily basisand the "Excerpts from Children's Letters" reveal the children's feelings during this time ofcrisis. Further, this report provides an update on legislative requirements found in the 1990McKinney Act Amendments, explains school districts' obligations under Section 504 to identifyand locate homeless children and youth who are handicapped, reviews the Chapter I policy forthe eligibility of homeless children, highlights the impact of the Mandatory Kindergarten Lawfor homeless parents and their five year olds, and explains the School Health Services Standards'Physical Examination Requirement. Finally, this progress report provides information aboutExemplary Practices such as school-based initiatives that were planned and implemented bystudents to help homeless children in their communities and other local initiatives that help tomeet the specific needs of homeless children and to heighten the awareness of what it means tobe homeless.

Measuring Our Progress

Accomplishments

This school year, we have been very successful in heightening the awareness ofeducators, parents, providers, advocates, community leaders, and even our students to the needsof Maryland's homeless children and youth. The identification of school contacts helped toensure the immediate enrollment of our homeless student.s, and the established partnershipsbetween schools and shelters helped us provide .ervices to homeless students beyond the normalclassroom setting. The following are our accomplishments for the 1990-91 school year:

Maintained a tracking system for homeless children in Maryland to provideaccurate unduplicated statistical data.

o Conducted on-site visits to feeder elementary schools and shelters in Allegany,Carroll. Fredenck. Washington, Wicomico. and Worcester courties.

o Provided technical assistance to schools by conducting 7 staff awareness sessions,

o Provided technical assistance to local task force and advisory committees for theeducation of homeless children and youth.

o Planned and implemented the Second Annual Conference for the Education ofHomeless Children and Youth (May 13, 1991! Towson Sheraton).

Planned and implementeu a student-centered conference that heightened theawareness of two hundred student leaders from feeder schools in Baltimore Cityand Anne Arundel, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's and Baltimorecounties (January 19, 1991, Holiday Inn-BWI).

o Identified exemplary student-planned and implemented initiatives that meet thespecial needs of our homeless students.

Students Helping Students Outreach VideoFamous Favorites CookbookHelping Hands for the Homeless

- The Corner House ProjectSchool Supplies for Homeless ChildrenHave A Heart--Help the HomelessSweets for Our SweetiesWe Make SMILESHelping Hearts and HandsMalcolm the JugDr. King's Learning CenterBooks for Others

Kids Making a Difference for KidsSensational Sam Students: Caring and SharingEaster Hunt and Party

o Collected and disseminated information about Maryland's homeless children andyouth through the following publications and studies:

Annual Progress Report, School Year 1990-91Case Studies of Children Living with Relatives and/or FriendsParent BrochureSchool Attendance Flier

o Shared information about Maryland's Homeless Children and Youth by makingpresentations at the following meetings and conferences:

American Friends Service Committee Inservice Training for TeachersPrince George's County Supervisor's MeetingStatewide Child Find MeetingStatewide Chapter I Parent ConferenceStatewide Health and Legal Issues ConferenceNational Chapter I ConferenceNational Children's Defense Fund ConferenceMid-Atlantic Network of Youth and Family Services Conference

- Coalition for Daycare and Family Support Services ConferenceAction for the Homeless ConferenceSecond Annual At Risk ConferenceFocus 44 Talk ShowUniversity of Maryland Baltimore County (class presentation)Baltimore City's Annual Chapter I Conference

- Baltimore City's Parent Liaison's Staff Training- Maryland Informational and Referral Providers Conference

School and Christian Mission ConferenceArkansas State Conference on Educating Homeless Children and Youth

The McKinney Act Amendments of 1990 requires that we do more than give homeless childrenaccess to our schools. We are also required to identify and address their special needs. In aneffort to adhere to the mandates of the statute and to ensure that Maryland's homeless studentsexperience success in school, we make the following recommendations:

Recommendations

o Continue to establish school-based intervention partnerships that help meet theneeds of homeless students.

o Continue to review and revise any laws, regulations, practices or policies thatmay act as barriers to the enrollment, attendance, or success of homeless childrenand youth in school.

a Continue to provide parental involvement outreach activities for homeless parentsliving in transitional and emergency shelters and motels.

Target homeless students for before-and after-school tutorial and homeworkassistance programs and provide transportation if needed.

a Disseminate information to shelter providers about the location and eligibilitycriteria of local food programs (i.e., breakfast program) and important dates (i.e.school closings, testing dates).

a Continue to provide awareness training for school personnel on the needs andrights of homeless children and youth.

Identify a homeless liaison in each of the twenty-four school districts tocoordinate all the activities related to the education of homeless children andyouth in that district.

Provide transportation for homeless children returning to their "home" schools(school the child attended prior to becoming homeless).

a Continue to identify o-d accurately complete tracking forms for all homelesschildren.

Maryland's HomAess Children and YouthExcerpts from Children's Letters

Children residing in emergency and transitional shelters throughout Maryland were askedto write a letter addressed to anyone of their choice. No limitations were given for the lengthor the topics to be discussed in the letters. The following are excerpts from the children'sletters.

Dear God,

I'm tired, lonely, and afraid. My little sister cries because she's hungry and my mothercries because we're here. I'm being a big girl. Trn not going to let anyone see me cry. Pleasehelp us.

ThomasiaAge: 11

Dear Miss .4mv

Thank you Pr keeping my secret.

LucasAge: 9

Dear Momniv,

Don't he sad. Maybe we will find a new house tomorrow.

TimothyAge: 9

Dear Bridgetre,

Goodbye. I hope you find another friend. Say goodbye to the others for me.Don't write.

StaceyAge: 11

Dear God,

I'm sorry I complained about our aparrnent. It was really all right. If you give usanother one, I promise I'll keep my room clean.

Tai seerAge: 13

Dear Trade,

The shelter is not bad. Do you like it where you live? Have you seen daddy?

Dear Shelter Ladies,

Dear

DannielleAge: T

My birthday is next Iveek. I hope somebody remembers.

SharonAge: 7

I wish I could just disappear!

.AshaAge: 12

Dear Mrs. Peggy,

I don't understand everything that is happening to us or why we are living here.School will be opening soon and .tbr the .firsr rime I'm afraid.

PauletteAge: 14

Dear Mama,

Some dreams are good and some dreams can be very bad. Last night, I dreamedthat we were in a big white house with lots of windows. My room was pink and white.That's mv favorite color. I had lots offriends and they even came to visit me. You werein the kitchen cooking something good. I didn't want to wake up from my dream.Everything was so peacefid and nice. When I opened my eyes, I looked for you. Youwere there as you promised but we were still in the shelter. I don't blow how to wakeup from this dream.

SonyaAge: 13

12

Maryland's Homeless Children and You thAn Investigation of School Aged Children Living With Relatives andJor Friends

Introduction

Formal and informal interviews with homeless parents and shelter providers haver.. ealed that many homeless families are living doubled up with relatives and friends. Inaddition, inadequate supervision and the lack of separate rooms for intact families and familieswith adolescent male children force emergency shelter providers to rule that homeless childrenover the age of twelve, particularly males, and the male spouse cannot reside at the shelter.Very often, the children in these families do not attend school or they attend school irregularlyand their numbers and locations are difficult to document because they live temporarily with arelative or friend. In addition, the mother, for fear of losing the financial assistance for theadolescent child living apart from the family, is reluctant to discuss the child or details about thechild's temporary living arrangement. These families, sometimes called our hidden homeless,usually fall between the cracks and they lack the resources afforded homeless families livingin emergency and transitional shelters.

This report presents results of an investigation conducted by the Maryland StateDepartment of Education. The study was intended to provide information regarding thecircumstances and needs of children and their families who are living apart. The profiles of sixhomeless women that participated in the interviews will c, you an understanding of the impactof homelessness on homeless families and their school aged children who are forced to live withrelatives and friends.

InezInez is a 29-year-old single mother of four who h_d been living in the present shelter

with her youngest child for a month. She had lived previously in a vacant house with all fourchildren for two months. An increase in rent had forced them out of their last apartment. Shewas originally separated from the three oldest children because the shelter only had room forone. When additional space became available in the shelter, she decided that it was moredesirable not to disrupt the children's education. Therefore, her two boys, fourteen and four,were living with her mother, and her daughter, age twelve, was living with anothergrandmother.

Inez was distressed about the family's separation and felt that it was very important forthe children to be together. She also felt that her daughter's grandmother was trying to influencethe child against her and that she was unfairly kept from seeing or speaking with her daughter.Inez was also concerned about her oldest son and felt that he didn't have any positive male rolemodels or healthy social situations in which to participate. She asked if after-school activitiescould provide either of the above, and regretted that the separation caused her to be out of touchwith her children's circumstances.

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MaryMary is a 34-year-old mother of three children who came to the present shelter three

months earlier from an apartment she shared with her second husband. She is now separated.According to Mary, her husband had been abusive and unemployed, and had stolen money shehad given him to pay the rent for their apartment as well as money she had saved to move out.Mary and her three children were evicted, and Mary was having a difficult time finding anapartment she could afford.

Mary had brought her youngest child with her to the shelter, and had left her fourteenyear-old son and sixteen-year-old daughter in the care of their father (her first husband), whoagreed to keep them until Mary was in a more stable situation. Both children missed severaldays of school in the transition, and her daughter had lost a significant amount because ofemotional problems associated with the breakup of her mother's second marriage. Accordingto Mary, her daughter had repeated the fourth grade due to extended absences from school andthe emotional stress of separation.

The striking feature about Mary was her high self-esteem and optimism in the face of herpredicament. Mary was intelligent and well-spoken and had managed to maintain her job theentire time she had been homeless. According to Mary, she had been in a stable situation allher life until she came to this shelter. She seemed to feel more in control of her circumstancesand didn't appear as resigned or depressed as many others in the same situation.

However, Mary was beginning to get worried about her situation and was very concernedabout the disruption to her children's lives. Because the older children were now living a gooddistance away, she didn't get to see them as much as she wanted. While she was comfortablewith their living situation, she was unhappy about the family being separated and about thedisruption of the children's education. She believed that both children were anxious about thecircumstances of their mother and brother from whom the:r were separated, as well as their ownfuture.

Mary was particularly worried about her daughter, whom she believed was emotionallyvulnerable and for whom she thought the separation was particularly difficult. While shebelieved the separation had initially been a wise move, she now felt its unexpected duration wasmaking it an unhealthy situation.

KatherineKatherine is a 31-year-old separated mother of four who had been living with hex two

younger children in the present shelter for one month. Before coming to the shelter, she andher four children had been living doubled-up with relatives for two months after an increase inrent had forced them to leave their apartment.

Katherine had left her 14-year-old daughter and ten-year-old son living with their paternalgrandmother because she felt they were old enough to get to school on their own and would nothave to change schools. She felt it was the hest way to minimize the disruption caused by theirhomelessness. She also believed that having an infant child severely limiter.. her ability to carefor the older children in her present circumstances and that her lack of mobility would causeproblems if she was responsible for getting them to school.

4

While Katherine was, for the most part, comfortable with her older children's livingsituation, she was distressed about the separation. She felt that they were lonely and wasworried about the fact that they often had to be alone in the house where they were staying. Shefelt that they needed supervision and they needed their mother around. She was also concernedabout her ten-year-old son who had been held back in school because of his dyslexia. She feltfrustrated by the fact that while he was supposed to be getting extra help in school, she wouldnot easily oversee his progress or be his advocate. Because of the separation, she was unableto see them as often as she wished. Katherine needed counselling to help her deal with theseparation, and she remarked that perhaps counseling would benefit her children too but thatmeant notifying the schools and she wasn't ready to do that.

NessaNessa is a 33-year-old divorced mother of three daughters, ages seventeen, eleven, and

four, who has been homeless for four months. She had become homeless when she lost her joband could no longer pay her rent. She was very depressed and wept throughout the interview.She was also feeling very hopeless.

None of Nessa's daughters were currently with her because she had not wanted to dragthem into the shelter environment and disrupt their education and their lives. However, shethought she would have a job and an apartment by this time, and she was feeling very guilty andashamed that she was letting her children down. She also missed them a lot.

Nessa's troubles were compounded by the fact that she found it necessary to leave herdaughters in three different places. She was not happy with any of the situations because shefelt like none of them were getting enough emotional support at a time when they needed it. Shewas particularly unhappy about her oldest daughter's situation. When she became homeless, thechild was sent to live with her aunt. However. Nessa quiddy learned that her daughter was notgetting any supervision because that aunt worked. She then moved her daughter to her mother'shome, which was in a less desirable neighborh-od but had the advantage of her mother beinghome during the day. The major problem was that Nessa's mother is an alcoholic, and Nessaknew what it was like to be cared for by an alcoholic. She felt like her seventeen-year-old wasat great risk al.Tady and that no desirable option really existed for her care.

The 11-year-old was staying with another aunt, and Nessa believed she was being teasedabout her situation by her cousins. She had to miss two weeks of school because her motherwas ill and unable to get the required transfer papers together for her enrollment in the newschool.

Nessa felt that all the girls were lonely and unhappy but were trying to hide it from herso she wouldn't be more upset than she was. The saddest fact was that Nessa felt like such afailure that she stopped contacting her children regularly. She felt like they would ask whenthey could be together, and she would have to disappoint them again. She wanted very muchfor them to all be reunited but felt hopeless about it ever happening. After all, they had beenhomeless for nearly half a year.

UrsulaUrsula is an intense, petite, 26-year-old divorced mother of two boys who had been living

in the present shelter for eighteen months. Before coming to the shelter, she had lived in

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another shelter for one month and had shared an apartment with her sister until they had aconflict and Ursula was asked to leave.

Ursula lived with her 3-year-old son and was separated from her seven year-old sonbecause her ex-husband hadn't wanted him to live in a shelter. Ursula thought he'd be betteroff living with his father because he could stay in the same school. She didn't have enoughmoney to transport him to his home school, had he lived with her.

Ursula was unhappy with the separation and she believed that her seven year old childwas .iuffering. According to Ursula, her son was experiencing problems with school work thatshe felt were the resu)t of his poor emotional state due to their separation. She believed that thechild was feeling abandoned and was jealous that his brother lived with his mother and he couldnot. She said that even though he spent every weekend with them at the shelter, when it wastime to part, he became inconsolably upset. She was very eager to get into permanent housingso that they could be reunited. However, she had no idea how long this would take. In themeantime, Ursula's son was acting out in school-- something he had never done before.

Ursula's eyes glistened when she spoke of her son, and she appeared to be very proudof him and very concerned for his welfare. When the interview was completed, she insisted onshowing me several pictures of him, including a large photograph of him in his cap and gownfrom his kindergarten graduation.

RuthRuth is a 33-year-old single mother of six children who had been homeless for fifteen

months when she came to the transitional shelter. Her manner was brief and businesslike, butshe was open about her situation.

Ruth had been living in this shelter for nineteen months and had a set of I-year-old twin,living in the apartment with her. Her homelessness had been the result of her alcoholism, andher three oldest children had been taken away from her by the courts because of child abuse.Since coming to the shelter she had been working very hard on her recovery and was very proudof her success. However, she was aware of her vulnerability, and she was not overconfident.

Ruth's 5-year-old daughter was in her custody but had been sent to live with the child'spaternal grandmother at the beginning of the school year. Ruth felt that it would have been verydifficult for her to transport the child to and from half-day kindergarten with twin babies, andshe wanted very much for the child to attend school.

Ruth was frustrated b./ the fact that after making that decision, she had leawt4 that thechild's grandmother, being very old, was often too sick or tired to get the child to school. Asa result, she had missed a great deal of kindergarten. Ruth was very agitated over her lack ofcontrol of her daughter's circumstances and was very anxious to get into permanent housing sothat she could get her daughter back and register her for school in September. She was alsofrustrated by the fact that it was difficult for her to have any input in her daughter's schoolexperience and maintain any meaningful contact with the school. Ruth's present circumstanceand the physical distance created by the separation was taking its toll on both Ruth and her child.

n

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to gather information about the school-aged children ofhomeless parents living in the state of Maryland. The focus of the research is school-agedchildren who are separated from their homeless parents for reasons other than adoption or fostercare. This includes children who have been left, informally, in the care of relatives or friends,as well as those whose custodial mothers have voluntarily and formally placed them in temporarycustody of another caretaker.

The investigation was not intended to involve a large random or representative sampleof the population of doubled-up families; rather its puipose was to gather a large amount ofinformation from a small number of families in a variety of differing circumstances. It wasoriginally proposed that 100 mothers would be included in the study, but difficulties inrecruitment of participants resulted in a sample of 27 mothers who are separated from theirchildren. An attempt was made to collect information about the circumstances of these mothersand the school-aged children from whom they are separated. Included are questions designedto ascertain the educational status of these children: are they in school and if not what are thebarriers associated with the access to education? The information gathered from this study willdocument the barriers that may deny homeless children living with relatives and friends accessto Maryland's schools and to make recommenda ions, if necessary, for the revision of localpolicies and procedures and/or state laws and the implementation of intervention strategies foridentifying and addressing the needs of these children.

Methodology

Information was obtained through personal interviews by the researcher with homelesswomen in Maryland shelters who had or recently had one or more school-aged children fromwhom they were separated and w:io were living in situations described above. Originally, on-site visits were to be made to 18 Family Shelters in Maryland in the five counties that reportedthe largest number of homeless children in the 1989-90 school year. When the goal to locateand interview WO women meeting the above criteria fell far short of the expected level, theresearcher extended the study to include women living in Women's Shelters, Many of thesewomen voluntarily leave their children with relatives or friends because they don't want toexpose the children to living in a shelter or the family shelters were full and only space at awomen's shelter was available.

In the first part of the study involving family shelters, shelters were chosen and shelterdirectors were notified about the study through a memo from the State Coordinator of Educationfor Homeless Children and Youth in Maryland. The state coordinator also informed the shelterdirectors that a monetary incentive of $10 would be paid to the women participating in the study.In addition to the state coordinator's correspondence to the shelter directors, the researcher madea follow-up telephone call and mailing to the shelter directors to establish a rapport and toexplain the purpose of the research and to ask for assistance in identifying potential subjects.Fliers describing the project were disseminated to each shelter identified for participation.Personal and telephone contacts with the shelter staff were initiated by the researcher prior tovisiting the shelters to conduct the interviews.

17

Although there was a genuine interest in the project, very few potential subjects wereidentified initially. The researcher had to make several follow-up calls and visits to the sheltersto find subjects that met the criteria for the study. Our experience in trying io recruit subjectsconfims the difficulties in counting and studying the "hidden homeless* experienced by othersand suggests that these families are not generally motivated to participate in research studies.They may choose to participate if contacted directly but they are reluctant to initiate the firstcontact. For many of the subjects, the appointment was made by direct telephone contact withthe subject by the researcher.

Upon arrival at the shelter at the designated time and date, the researcher identifiedherself to the shelter staff with whom telephone contact had been made and requested a quiet andprivate location to conduct the interviews. Then the participants were notified that theresearcher had arrived.

Following introductions, the researcher read a prepared statement to each subjectdescribing the purpose of the study, ensuring confidentiality, and informing them of their rightsduring the interview. After the researcher answered any questions and was certain that thesubject understood, a consent form was read and the subject was asked to sign and date theform.

Realizing that many homeless individuals are not amenable to situations that require themto complete paperwork and forms, the questionnaire was then read to the subject, and the subjectwas encouraged to answer the questions in as much depth as possible. The questionnaire wascomposed of three sections: the first part consisted of questions designed to obtain informationabout demographics and the subject's history of homelessness; the second part asked questionsabout the subject's children including living arrangements, educational history, and currentschool attendance; and the third part contained questions related to the effects of the separationon the mother and child(ren). While many of the questions required brief and specificresponses, many were open-ended and gave the women the opportunity to speak freely aboutthemselves, their children, and their situation.

At the conclusion of the interview, each woman was acknowledged for her participation.The researcher also attempted to locate the contact staff person, thank him/her for cooperating,and let them know that the researcher would maintain contact to find out if there were additionalsubjects for the study.

The methodology for the second part of ,gie study, which involved women in Women'sShelters, varied slightly from the above. In this situation, mostly for expedience, the firstcontact was made by phone to the shelter director by the researcher. The study was brieflyexplained, and if any interest and a willingness to participate was expressed by the director, afollow-up letter was sent immediately, as well as a notice that could be circulated to the womenin the shelter explaining the study, and the criteria for participation. Approximately one weeklater, the shelter director was contacted again by phone, by the researcher, to learn if anyprospective subjects had been identified. At this point, the methodology became identical to theone followed for the first group.

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Findings of the Study

The findings of this study ar based on a sample of 27 mothers, all of whom where eitherhomeless at the time of the interviek r had recently been homeless. Twenty of these subjectseither were or had recently been residents in family shelters, and all but one were or hadrecently been separated from one or more of their school-aged children for reasons other thanadoption or foster care. A decision was made to include that subject because even though herchildren had been in foster care in the past, since regaining custody of them she had beenthrough a period of homelessness, and had experienced what were thought to be significantbarriers trying to keep her children in school. The other seven subjects in the sample werehomeless women who were residing in Women's Shelters and were separated from one or moreof their school-aged children for reasons other than adoption or foster care. All interviews wereconducted between March 9, 1991 and June 13, 1991.

Part I: Demographics and History of Homelessness

The cultural background of the sample included 79.6%(21) African Americans, 14.6%(4)Caucasians, and 5.6 %(1) subjects of other backgrounds. The women ranged in age from 22 to40 years, with the mean age being 31.1 years. Marital status of the sample included 3.7%(1)married women, 44.4%(12) single women, 22.2%(6) divorced women, and 29.6%(8) separatedwomen. The sample of women had a total of 76 children ages eighteen and under. Of those76, 44 (or 57.9%) of the children were eighteen and under and were living apart from them insituations other than adoption or foster care. That represents a mean of 2.8 children, ageseighteen and under, per woman, and a mean of 1.7 children per woman in the same age groupfrom whom they were separated.

Subjects had spent anywhere from thre..! days to 19 months at the shelter at which theywere interviewed, and the mean amount of time spent was 3.8 months. In response to thequestion "How long were you homeless before you came to this shelter?," subjects respondedanywhere from one night to 15 months, with a mean of 4.1 months.

The question "Describe your living arrangements before you came here?" elicitedthe following responses:

Living with parent(s) 19.1%(5.2)Living with other relatives 14.8%(4.0)Living with friends 27.8%(7.5)

Living with mate 9.3%(2.5)Shelter, crisis center, hotel 14.8%(4.0)Incarcerated 6.8%(6.8)Other (street, car, vacant building) 7.4%(2.0)

To the question "What was the one main reasonhomelessness?", subjects responded:

EconomicRelationship

14

19

for your current period of

31.5%(S.5)33.3%(9.0)

Substasnce AbuseOther

20.4%(5.5)14.8%(4.0)

In answer to the question, "Rave you had any other periods of hozneksatess in thepast five years?", 66.6% of the subjects responded "no" and 33.3% responded "yes".

Part 11 Background 4n4 Educational History of Children

The first question asked was, "What is the age and sex of each child, 18 and under,living apart from your The number of children in this category totalled 44; 52.3%(23) wereboys and 47.7%(2I) were girls. In the pre-school group, ages 1-4, there were eight children,or 18.2% of the total. Eighteen elementary school, children, ages 5-11, represented 40.9% ofthe total, as did the group of 18 youth, 12-18 years old (40.9%).

Reason.s the above children were separated from their mothers were grouped intoseven categories, which follow with subjects' responses:

To remain in a stable school 46.5%(20)and/or home environment

Couldn't adjust to living in shelter 2.3%(1)Conflict with mother 9.3%(4)No room at shelter or 14.0%(6)

shelter unable to takeChild(ren)s father was willing to take 11.6%(5)

until mother was more stableMother has significant problem with drugs 14.0(6)Uncontrollable teenager/placed in group

home when mother became homeless 2.3%

In answer to the question "How long have you been separated from each child during thisperiod of homelessness?", subjects responoed anywhere from four days to 18 months, with amean of 4.2 months. Several women responded that they had been separated for longer thanthe current period of homelessness. If total time separated, including the current period ofhomelessness, is calculated, the mean is increased to 6.7 months with the range becoming fourdays to 60 months.

The response to "who are they [the children] currently living with?* was the following:

Father 22.1%(9.5)Grandparent(s) 50.0%(21.5)

Grandmother & Grandfather 2.0Grandmother only 19.5

Other relatives (only aunts) 14.0%(6.0)Friends 11.7%(5.0)Other (group home) 2.3%(l.0)

The response to "How long las/have your child(ren) lived with the above since yourcurrent separation?" was the same as tc 'he question "what is total time separated from yourthild(ren) including the currest period or namelessness?". Therefore, the range is four days to60 months, and the mean is 6.7 months. In answer to the next question "how many miler placesIms/have your child(ren) lived since your current separation?", only one subject responded thather child had lived in more than one place, and she said it was for a brief enough period as tobe negligible. The reason given by the mother was that her child didn't have enoughsupervision.

In response to the question "Are you comfortable with your child(ren)'s present livingarrangements?", 55.8%(24) reported "yes," 25.6%(11) reported "yes & no," and 18.6%(8)reported "no." All (11) of the "yes & no's" and three of the *no's" qualified their answers withthe remark, "I am comfortable with the living arrangement but Lot the separation!"

Of the 46 children eighteen and under, five were under five years of age and not yetenrolled in school. Of the 41 remaining, three children under five years were attendingpreschool or Headstart, 37 were enrolled in elementary or hizti school, and only one, a sixteenyear-old, was currently not attendine school. Of the 40 enrolled in school, 72.5%(29) hadattended one school during the 1990-91 school year. and 27.5 c7c (11) had attended more than oneschool. Of those II, eight had attended two schools, and three had attended three schools.

In response to the question that asked "Do you know the name of the school yourchild(ren) is/are attending?", the twenty-seven subjects identified 36 (or 90%) of the schools,and did not know the names of 10%(4) of the schools.

"How much school has/have your child(ren) missed?" elicited the following:None 17.5%(7)Few days 42.5%(17)Five days 17.5%MSeven days 2.5%(1)Ten days 10.0(4)Twenty days 2.0%(2)A lot 2.0%(2)

Of the 40 children being reported, 77.5%(31) were absent from school five days or less.For the 24 children who missed a few to five days, the reasons below were given:

Normal illness 77.1%(18.5)Transportation problems 12.5%(3.0)Trouble with registration 4.2%(1.0)In hospital giving birth 4.4%(1.0)Time lost in move 2.1%(0.5)

Of the nine children reported to be absent from school more than five days, the sevenday absence was due to fiu and another illness; the four 10 day absences were due to: 1) motherbeing too ill to register child; 2) a disciplinary removal; 3) and 4) children changing schools:the two 20 day absences were due to 1) emotional problems and 2) emotional problems anaasthma; and finally, the two "a lots" were caused by 1) bad behavior and tniancy and 2) agrandmother being too old and often ill to transport child to school.

16 2

In response to "has your child ever repeated a grade?", forty subjects responded oftheir school-aged children:

Not applicable, 5 yrs. or under 20%(8)No 60%(24)Yes 20%(8)

Performed below grade level 4Emotional problems 2Dyslexia 1

Wasn't sure 1

Calculated for the 32 students for whom it was applicable, 24 out of 32, (or 75%) of theschool-aged children had not repeated a grade.

Subjects were asked "of the special educational services listed below, please tell me ifyour child(ren) need(s) any that you know ofr Of the 27 subjects questioned, five or 18.5%said none of their children needed any: 16 (or 59.3%) said all of their children needed someservices, and six, (or 22.2%) said some but not all of their children needed services. Of the 22subjects who thought their children needed services, 63 special educational services were namedfor 29 children. They were:

Tutoring programs for reading and/or math 4

Special education for the handicapped 1

Programs for the gifted and talented 10

Services in the English language 4

Job training 7Counseling for personal problems 20Programs addressing drugs and alcohol 17

Pars I1I--Effects of SeparationPart III of the questionnaire dealt with the effects of the separation on parents and

children. The first question asked, "Are you able to keep in contact with your child(ren)?" Oneof the 27 subjects was not applicable. Of the 26 remaining, all had in-person contact with theirchildren. Only one mother said she had to write to one of her children because of lack ofaccess. The frequency of contact was:

By Phone In Person

Everyday 12 48% Everyday 6 23.1%Few times/week 10 40% Few times/week 4 15.4%One time/week 2 8% One time/week 10 38.5%One time/month 1 4% Two times/month 4 15.4%

Infrequently Z 7.7%TOTAL 25

TOTAL 26

1722

The question "Do you think your child(ren)'s needs are being met in their currentliving arrangement?" brought the following responses:

Yes 65.1% (28)Yes & no 14.0% (6)No 34.6% (9)

Five of those who answered "yes & no" and six of those who answered "no" stated thattheir child(ren) needed to be with their mothers and/or their families, and one of the "no's" wasafraid her child's grandmother was trying to turn the child against her. The other "yes & no"said her child was missing too much school, although all other needs were being met. The otherthree "no's" said their child(ren) was/were not getting enough nurturing or companionship.

In answer to the question "What are the major problems your children are experiencingas a result of their separation from you?", five, (or 19.2%) said there were none, and 21, (or80.8%) named the following:

Missing mother and family 22

Depressed, lonely, and/or feeling abandoned 7

Lacking trust in motherLacking regular access to school 1

Overweight and no social life 1

Behavioral problems 1

Won't confide in grandmother 1

In answer to the final question. "What are your plans for the future concerning thechildren from whom you are separated?", all but two of the 27 subjects responded (two subjectsare reunited with their children), Of the 25, four (16%) did not cite being reunited with theirchild(ren) as a priority. These were the responses:

Get apartment and get children back 40%(l0)Get job, apartment and children back 20% (5)Get straight, apartment & children back 8% (2)Get straight, job, and children back 4% (1)Get in transitional housing for a year,

get GED, then get one child at a time4% (1)

Get child into shelter with her ASAP 4% (1)Get child back when they are both ready 4% (1)Deal with addiction, then see 8% (2)Keep children in private school,

whatever it takes4% (1)

Doesn't want daughter, wishes her well 4% (1)

18

Conclusion

Even though stability of the school situation reported in this risearch is a positive sign,it is clear that most of the subjects recognize the reality that keeping their families intact andkeeping their children in school are not mutually compuale options. Homeless mothers enteringthe shelter system, aware of the disruption to family life and eager to keep some aspect of theirchild(ren)'s lives stable, find that separation is the least objectionable of choices. It is a failureon the part of the educational system that a uniform solution for transporting homeless childrento a home school, if that is what a parent dmms is in his or her best interest, has not beenfound. Parents' lack of accessibility to their child(ren)'s school when they are separated, so thatthey may serve as advocates for these children who are already at risk, is another problemcreated by this situation. The intermittent contact created by the separation makes it verydifficult for mothers to stay on top of their child(ren)'s educational progress and any problemsthey may be experiencing.

While the researcher was unable to locate any school-aged children of homeless parentsnot attending school, it was evident from anecdotal conversations with shelter staff and otherservice providers that they, too, believe that many of these children, particularly the older ones,are not attending school. The issues of homeless teenagers and education are made morecomplex by the higher incidence of truancy problems, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, andacademic failure, coupled with the fact that teenagers are more sensitive to what others think ofthem than younger children. If these youth can not be accessed through shelters, it becomesincreasingly important to discover a mechanism to locate them and any school-aged children notregularly attending school. If they are among the ranks of doubled-up families, as seemspossible, many of them may show up intermittently at a school. Even though educators may beinclined to protect the privacy of children in these families, it seems that this may be the onlypoint of contact. Schools and educators can reach parents in doubled-up situations, even if theydo not yet consider themselves homeless, to inform them of their child(ren)'s educational rightsand to teach them the best ways to advocate for their children.

Implications for Educators

The impact of homelessness on a child's emotional, physical, and educationaldevelopment is severe, regardless of whether the child lives in a shelter or is separated from thefamily and living with relatives or friends. As indicated in the study, the temporary livingarrangements for the children who cannot stay with the family because of age limitations at theshelter or the parent's unwillingness to expose the children to shelter life answers one problembut creates other problems. Schools must recognize and understand the emotional, behavior, andsocial problems created by the separation of children from the family. Thai they must developand implement programs and practices to help alleviate these problems. A major concern isthose children who live with relatives and friends and do not attend school. In many cases, thefamily member or friend is not the legal guardian or the school is not notified that transportationis needed for fear that the child will be forced to transfer to another school. How do we ensurethat these children are provided with needed services and information regarding their rights?How do we provide information to a "hidden" population of children who may be at risk?

1924

Some recommendations are:

1. Send notices to all parents from school and day care programs, via the children,explaining the educational rights of homeless children.

2. Place notices about educational rights for homeless children in community centersand public places, such as grocery stores, WIC offices, welfare offices, healthcenters, soup kitchens, and fuel and housing assistance agencies.

3. Provide school inservice training and other educational forums that address theissues of children who live in doubled up homeless situations and children wholive with relatives and friends while the family lives in a shelter.

Mmy land's Homeless Children and Youth

Statistical Data, Barriers, and Special Needs

According to the statistical data reported by the Departmentsof Social Services, local school districts, Community ActionAgencies, and emergency and transitional shelter providers, 6,956children were homeless during the 1990-91 school year. Of thatnumber, 4,029 homeless children were of school-age(6-16yrs.)

The development and implementation of Local Policies andProcedures for the Registration, Transfer, and Withdrawal of aHomeless Student have been most effective in ensuring the immediateenrollment of Maryland's homeless students. Last school year, 591of the school-aged homeless students were reported as not attendingschool. This is a five percent decrease from the reported totalduring the 1989-90 school year. Most of the students, living inyouth shelters or motels for 1-2 weeks, reported the lack oftransportation back to the home school as the primary reason fortheir non-attendance in school. Most school systems are eitherproviding transportation back to the home school on a case-by-casebasis or not at all. Baltimore City Public Schools, however,transports all homeless students back to the home school. Injurisdictions where motel placements are two weeks or less, schoolpersonnel may not be aware of the hundreds of school-age homelesschildren in their districts. Homeless parents or youth shelterdirectors do not see the need to transfer the children to thenearby school for a one or two week stay. In the best interest ofthe child, other options must be considered for addressing theeducational needs of these children.

Various studies have documented that homeless children betweenthe ages of five and thirteen change schools frequently, attendschool erratically, and receive poor grades. The distribution ofschool supplies and the implementation of tutorial and homeworkassistance programs have addressed some of the special needs of ourhomeless children. In addition, local school initiatives withfeeder shelters have provided reading books and educational games,monthly cultural enrichment activities, food and clothing drives,and other projects that address specific needs of homeless childrenand their families. However, identifying and providing specialeducation services for homeless children who may be in need isstill an obstacle. Multiple moves, teachers' lack of awareness ofhomelessness, parental difficulty advocating, complicated referralprocess for assessment and treatment, and the unavailability orinaccessibility of programs for children with special learningneeds are barriers to meeting this educational need of homelessschool-age children.

In addition to the educational needs, the nutritional andhealth care needs of homeless children need to be addressed.Homeless parents and shelter providers should be informed aboutfree and reduced breakfast and lunch programs at local schools andthe process for a child's immediate access. The school nurse canbe helpful in identifying health care needs and communityresources.

221 6

City/County

Homeless Children in MarylandTotal Number of Homeless

ChildrenTotal Number of

School-Age Children (6-16)

SY'90-91 I SY'89-90 SY'88-89 SY'90-91 SY'89-90 SY'88-89

Baltimore City 2,194 I 2,051 2,095 1,212 1,061 1,381

Mon ome 852 1 170 761 383 503 398

Prince George's 961 850 1,410 510 482 801

Baltimore County 705 696 485 395 376 282

Anne Arundel 425 383 236 191 159 110

Charles 168 353 102 72 131 53

Washington 215 346 253 99 117 107

Howard 128 227 144 51 101 92

Cecil 276 221 72 151 97 71

Frederick 296 183 174 108 74 117

Worcester 141 154 57 61 70 22

Carroll 116 124 173 54 55 85

Allegany 128 117 124 58 59 68!

, Wicomico 148 104 54 73 61 37

St. Mary's 42 80 99 22 38 49 ,

,

i Talboti

19 29 26 18 24 15

Caroline 27 19 54 21 13 30

Dorchester 6 8 16 4 8 16

Calvert 6 7 14 3 6 10

Kent 0 4 4 0 2 1

,Harford 91 2 43 38 2 24

Somerset 12 1 1 4 0 1

Queen Anne's 0 0 41 0 0 29

GarrettI

0 0 0 0 0 1

1

; Kindergarten 501 487,

Total 6,956 7,129 6,439 4,029 3,926 3,795

The following facts explain why this data reflects an unduplicated count that is slightly lower than last year's count: (1) the cost for bednights has increased, and in several counties the Department of Social Services has either eliminated placing families in motels or decreasedthe number of motel placements; (2) families with children are remaining in the state of homelessness for a longer period of time, and (3)the statistics are based on services provided to homeless families; therefore the numbers do not reflect the increasing numbers of familieswith children that have been turned away.

22 2 7

Housing For Maryland's Homeless ChildrenChildren living in emergency and transitionalshelters. Children living in motels/hotels

5,000F. 4,5002 4.000..E0 3,5007, 3,0001 2,50oE 2.000az 1,500

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School Year

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1990-91 1989-90 -39

School Year 1990-91 1989 90 1988-89

School YearMany of Maryland's emergency shelters cannot accomodate adolescent childrenover the age of twelve years; consequently, these children live with relativesand friendsi and it is very difficult to locate and count them.

232

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36

Homeless Children in MarylandFive Year Olds

ISchool Year 1990-91

School Year 1989-90Attending

- -4- ./ 31.9%

Not Attending -:. \,..*:....: 320 Attending16.7% 4*..-4.-........*. 4i4 i 290 .. ** Not Attending.........* .167 ,... 4*** 29.8% .4 - 197.,......,.....,....

... ....:. . 20.2%Attendance., Unknown

.....- 1.4%:::-::::::::::t:.,';'

14. :::.

Eligible for KindergartenEligible for Kindergarten

48750.0%50.0%501

The mandatory school age in Maryland is six years of age; however,beginning school year 1992-93, kindergarten will be mandatory. Our dataindicates that many homeless parents do not register their five year olds forkindergarten or they withdraw the children once they become homeless dueto inflexible scheduling of appointments and transportation problems.

.._

Homeless Children In MarylandFour Years of Age and Under

Pre-School(3-4 years)

Toddlers(1-2 years)

Infants(0-11 months)

2000-1800-

1600-

1400-

1200-

1000-

800-600-1

400-

200-

1,205

1,065

1,388

School Year 1990-91Total Number of Chlldren=2,905

School Year 1989-90Total Number of Chl ldren=3,203

School Year 1988-89Total Number of Children=2,519

Legislative Update1990 McKinney Act Amendments

A revised and expanded version of Subtitle VU-B of the McKinney Act was signed byPresident Bush on November 29, 1990. The reauthorizing statute is the McKinney HomelessAssistance Amendments 1990 (P.L. 191-645). Congressional policy regarding Subtitle VII-Bunder the 1990 McKinney Act Amendments remained the same as in the 1987 McKinney Act,with two exceptions. First, Congress more clearly stated that no residency requirements, orother laws, regulations, practices, or policies, that may be part of compulsory education laws,may act as barriers to the enrollment, attendance, or success of homeless children and youth inschool. Second, Congress explicitly stated that homelessness alone should not be sufficientreason to separate students from the mainstream school environment.

Section 723 Local Educational Agency Grants for the Eduction of HomelessChildren and Youth

This section of the Act provides for financial assistance to local school districts to providedirect services to homeless children and youth to ensure their success in school. When statesprovide grants to local school districts, no less than 50 percent of the grant must be allocatedfor tutoring, remedial education services, or other education services to homeless children andyouth. In addition, at least 35 percent but no more than 50 percent of the grant may be usedfor a variety of related activities to enhance access to educational services. A few examples ofthese activities include:

expedited evaluations of strengths and needs of homeless children and youth;

professional development for school personnel on the needs and rights ofhomeless children and youth;

referral services to homeless children and youth for medical, dental, mental, andother health services; and

before and after school and summer programs for homeless children and youthin which a teacher or other qualified individual provides tutoring, homeworkassistance, and supervision of education activities.

The law further requires that each local school district receiving a grant must designatea homeless liaison to coordinate all activities related to the education of homeless children andyouth in the local jurisdiction.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

School District Obligations To Identify and Locate Homeless Children and YouthWho Are Handicapped.

In addition to the provisions set out in the McKinney Act, school districts are obligatedunder Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to identify and locate all homeless childrenwho are handicapped. Unlike the McKinney Act, which is a program funding statute, Section504 is a broad civil rights statutes that protects the rights of individuals with handicaps inprograms and activities that receive Federal monies. Section 504 provides that: "NOOTHERWISE QUALIFIED INDIVIDUAL WITH HANDICAPS IN THE UNITED STATES

SHALL, SOLELY BY REASON OF HER OR HIS HANDICAP, BE EXCLUDEDFROM PARTICIPATION IN, BE DENIED THE BENEFITS OF, OR BE SUBJECTED TODISCRIMINATION UNDER ANY PROGRAM OR ACTIVITY RECEIVING FEDERALFINANCIAL ASSISTANCE."

Subpart D of Section 504 specifies that school districts annually: TAKE STEPS TOIDENTIFY AND LOCATE EVERY QUALIFIED HANDICAPPED PERSON RESIDINGLN THEIR JURISDICTION WHO IS NOT RECEIVING A PUBLIC EDUCATION; ANDTAKE APPROPRIATE AND CONTINULNG STEPS TO NOTIFY HANDICAPPEDPERSONS AND THEIR PARENTS OR GUARDIANS OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS'OBLIGATIONS TO PROVT1E A FREE APPROPRIATE PUBLIC EDUCATION TOQUALIFIED HANDICAPPED PERSONS.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, the initial stepin providing educational services for those children and youth who are handicapped is to locateand identify the individuals in need of specialized services. While homeless children and youthshould not be automatically identified as handicapped solely because of their homelessness,school personnel should be sensitive to the fact that informed shelter providers and homelessparents can be helpful in identifying homeless children with handicapping conditions.

Section 504 does not prescribe methods for identifying children with handicaps or fornotifying them of their right to free appropriate public education; however, the followingrecommendations may assist school personnel in identifying and locating homeless famffies withchildren who are handicapped:

o Contact and collaborate with the State Coordinator of Education for HomelessChildren and Youth.

o Consult with local shelters, advocacy groups, health and social service agencies,religious groups, and other private organizations that provide services to homelessfamilies with children.

o Publicize notices regarding the rights of handicapped children in places that arefrequented by homeless children and youth and their parents.

41

Chapter 1 Policy: Eligibility of Homeless Children

Under section 722(e)(5) of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, a statereceiving funds under that Act is required to submit a State plan that includes a provision toensure that *each homeless child shall be provided services comparable to services offered otherstudents in the school... including educational services for which the child meets the eligibilitycriteria, such as compensatory educational programs for the disadvantaged.... Therefore,because homeless children, by definition, do not have a fixed, regular, and adequate night-timeresidence, educationally deprived homeless children attending schools that have Chapter Iprojects are eligible for participation provided they meet the same educational criteria as otherchildren in the school. In addition, homeless children (those identifiable under the McKinneyAct) attending non-Chapter I schools may be served under Chapter I. These children, bydefinition, cannot meet the eligibility requirement that they reside in a project area and would,in eftect, be precluded from receiving Chapter I services. To ensure that homeless children,who may be among the most needy, are not denied services because of an eligibility requirementthey cannot meet, LEAs may serve educationally deprived homeless children without regard tothe residency requirement.

Mandatory Kindergarten-Minimum Age

IN ACCORDANCE WITH REGULATIONS OF THE STATE BOARD OFEDUCATION, A CHILD WHO RESIDES IN THIS STATE AND IS 5 YEARS OLD MAYBE EXEMPTED FROM MANDATORY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE FOR 1 YEAR IF THECHILD'S PARENT OR GUARDIAN FILES A WRITTEN REQUEST WITH THE LOCALSCHOOL SYSTEM ASKING THAT ME CHILD'S ATTENDANCE BE DELAYED DUETO THE CHILD'S LEVEL OF MATURITY.

EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SUBSECTION (F) OF THIS SECTION OR INREGULATIONS OF THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION, EACH OHM WHORESIDES IN THIS STATE SHALL ATTEND A KINDERGARTEN PROGRAMREGULARLY DURING ME SCHOOL YEAR PRIOR TO ENTERING THE FIRSTGRADE UNLESS THE CHILD IS OTHERWISE RECEIVING REGULAR, THOROUGHINSTRUCTION IN THE SKILLS AND STUDIES USUALLY TAUGHT IN AKINDERGARTEN PROGRAM OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL.

The mandatory kindergarten requirement becomes effective school year 1992-93. Currentdata indicate that many homeless parents do not register their five-year-olds for kindergarten orthey withdraw the children once they become homeless. It is very difficult fora homeless parentto keep scheduled appointments, to look for housing and employment, and to pick up a five-year-old who is enrolled in the school's half-day kindergarten program. In an effort to ensurethat the half-day kindergarten programs are not a barrier to homeless families, state and localtask forces and advisory committees for the education of homeless children and youth areencouraged to begin exploring ways of coordinating efforts and providing alternatives forhomeless five-year- olds who may otherwise not attend.

12

School Health Services Standards: Physical Examination Requirement

The physical examination requirement begins school year 1991-92; however, it will notbe a barrier to enrolling a homeless student in Marylafid's public schools. Homeless childienwho are entering the Maryland Public School System for the first time and who have not hada physical examination or can not show proof of having a physical examination will not bedenied access to any school in Maryland. The physical examination requirement was establishedin an effort to ensure the well being of all our children. Therefore, homeless parents shouldseek the assistance of shelter staff and/or the school nurse to locate available resources forobtaining a physical examination for their school-age children.

COMAR 13A.05.05.05.15

(1) A physical examination shall be required of each child entering the MarylandPublic School System for the first time. The examination must be completedwithin the period of nine months prior to entrance or six months afterentrance. The physical examination form designated by the Department ofEducation and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene shall be usedto meet this requirement.

(2) The physical examination shall be completed by a physician or certified nursepractitioner.

(3) For each school year each public school shall report to the local board orlocal health department the number of children entering the public schoolsystem for the first time who have not had a physical examination because ofthe lack of access to health care; insufficient financial resources; or any otherreason, including a religious reason, as the public school deems appropriate.

(4) An effort should be made to facilitate students and their families in obtaininga physical examination. However, if the student is unable to obtain aphysical examination, the studc.nt shall not be excluded from school.

(5) For each school year the local board or local health department shall reportthe number of children who have not had a physical examination and thereason(s) for not obtaining the physical examination to the Department ofHealth and Mental Hygiene.

7; 4 3

Exemplary Practices

Students Helping Students Initiatives

Two hundred students from schools in Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Howard,Montgomery, Prince George's and Baltimore counties were invited to attend a student conferencethat focused on heightening their awareness about homelessness and its impact on homelessfamilies. The teams of four students (second through fifth grade) and one adult sponsor attendedworkshops and accepted the charge to return to their schools as student ambassadors. Thestudent ambassadors, working as a team, were to share the information and materials receivedat the conference with other students in the school and to begin planning and implementing astudent initiative. The student initiative was an activity planned and implemented by studritsto help homeless children within their communities.

The Students Helping Students Initiatives provided an opportunity for schools and sheltersto work together and for parents, teachers, and students to learn more about homelessness. Thesuccess of each initiative listed below was dependent upon the total commitment from everyoneinvolved.

School:Principal:Feeder Shelter:Student Initiative:

Baltimore City

Malcolm X Primary School (Pre-K thru 2nd)Myrtle Washington Telephone Number: 396-0546Springhill Transitional ProgramCalling All Pennies

The second grade student ambassadors at Malcolm X Primary School metwith the shelter director to determine the needs of the children residing at Springhill TransitionalProgram. As a result of the meeting, the team decided to sponsor a School Days Drive tocollect school supplies for the school age children and to ask their classmates and teachers tobring in pennies to feed Malcolm the Jug. Malcolm was a large water cooler jug that wasdecorated and now holds "Pennies for Our Friends." To launch the schoolwide project, the teamof second graders organized a schoolwide pep rally and talked to fellow classmates. The themefor the student initiative activities was "That's What Friends Are For." The collection drivesprovided $305.00 in pennies which were presented to the shelter director for the purpose ofpurchasing items for the children at Springhill.


Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary SchoolMrs. Colyn H. Harrington Telephone Number: 396-0756Springhill Transitional ProgramLearning Center

The fourth and fifth grade student ambassadors at Dr. Martin Luther KingElementary School took a different approach to meeting a special need of the children atSpringhill Transitional Program. The student ambassadors, with the assistance of their adult

3314

sponsors, created a Learning Center at the shelter to be used by the parents and children. Thestudents, parents, and staff zt the school donated books, reference materials, and magazines.In addition, they decorated the Learning Center and created cozy corners for reading and quietareas for studying and doing homework.


Samuel Coleridge Taylor Elementary SchoolDeborah Wortham Telephone Number: 396-0784YWCA Corner House ShelterCaring and Sharing Initiatives

The fifth grade student ambassadors from the Sensational Samuel ColeridgeTaylor Elementary School found that the children residing at the YWCA Corner House Shelterhad many needs. The team was so motivated to help that they planned a schedule of activitiesto be implemented during selected months throughout the 1990-91 and 1991-92 school years.

Sensational Sam Student's Caring and Sharing Initiatives included:

Taped music, songs, and messages to our friends at the shelter.

An "Everybody's Birthday" party (students r.lsked to bring a wrapped gift toschool that can be taken to the shelter so that all the children there can receivea gift/card).

Slide presentation about the school that will be shared with children at the shelterwho will be entering the school for the first time.

A "Soup Kitchen Day" (shelter director will be asked to give names of 10-15shelter friends to invite to a luncheon prepared and served by students and parentsat school).

"March for the Homeless" to raise the awareness of the community.

Dessert Free Day: students and staff will donate their cookie and dessert moneyfor that day to the homeless initiative to purchase needed items for families livingin shelters.

Share An Item Drive: students and staff will bring in selected items to share withour friends living in the YWCA shelter.

School:Principal:Fzefier Shelter:Student Initiative:

Harford Heights Elementary SchoolClifton Ball Telephone Number: 396-9342Rutland Transitional ProgramSweets For Our Sweeties

The third, fourth, and fifth grade student ambassadors from HarfordHeights Elementary School organized a bake sale to raise monies to expand the book selectionat the Rutland Center Library. Parents, grandparents, students, and teachers, donated the

34 4 5

"sweets for our sweeties*. The students raised $275.80. The money was used to purchasebooks, coloring books, records, puzzles, and video tapes. The students even included amagazine subscription to the children's favorite magazine, Ifigh lights.


Anne Arundel County

Freetown Elementary SchoolCharlene Pryseski Telephone Number: 761-2544YWCA Women's CenterSchool Supplies for the Homeless

The enthusiastic fifth grade student ambassadors from FreetownElementary School planned and implemented a school-wide School Supply Drive. FreetownElementary is the feeder school for the YWCA Women's Center, a domestic violence shelter.Due to the confidentiality of the residents and guarded secret about the shelter's exact location,the student ambassadors could not visit the shelter. Therefore, the team decided to collectschool supplies and have a Welcome Packet ready for the children when they register. Theschool secretary was asked to handle this important task and to greet the families warmly. Thestudent ambassadors conducted the folowing activities in preparation for the drive:

Presentations were made to their respective fifth grade classes to inform otherstudents of the conference they attended and to solicit help in the variousactivities. Fach student planner served as chairperson of a subcommittee.

The student planners and committee members decorated a collection box for thesupplies.

The student planners and commitvx members designed and displayed postersannouncing the drive.

The student planners and committee members wrote announcements for use overthe public address system.

The student plarmers read the announcements over the P.A. System duringmorning announcements.

One of the student planners practiced and read a book about a homeless puppy,Claude tile_ Dog by Dick Gachienback, to first graders and asked for their helpin the supply drive.

The student planners collected and organized the school supplies on a daily basis.

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Rolling Knoll Elementary SchoolRaymond L. Herbert Telephone Number: 2244170Helping HandChip In For The Homeless

Rolling Knoll Elementary School's fifth grade student ambassadors planned andimplemented two activities to help the homeless children residing at the Helping Hand Shelter.The activities were a School Supply Drive for grades 1-3 and a Book Drive for grades 4-5. Thestudents constructed bulletin boards in the main hallway to announce each activity. It was titled"Chip In For: The School Supply Drive For The Homeless" and "Chip In For: The BookDrive For The Homeless." In addition to the bulletin board displays, the team visitedclassrooms to explain to their classmates what the word "homeless* meant. For a week,children in grades 1-3 at Rolling Knoll brought in rulers, pencils, crayons, notebooks, folders,scissors and glue and they discussed homelessness and its impact on families - particularlychildren. The children in grades 4 and 5 participated in the Book Drive activity by bringing innew, old, and good condition books that would benefit all the residents at the Helping HandShelter.

Howard County

School: Hammond Elementary SchoolPrincipal: John Morningstar Telephone

School: Bushy Park Elementary SchoolPrincipal: David MacPherson Telephone

School: Waterloo Elementary SchoolPrincipal: Madrainne Johnson Telephone

School: Stevens Forest Elementary SchoolPrincipal: Earl Slacum Telephone

School: Longfellow Elementary SchoolPrincipal: Marianne Pfeiffer Telephone

School: West Friendship Elementary SchoolPrincipal: Leah Farmer Telephone

Student Initiative: Students Helping Students' Video

Number:

Number:

Number:

Number:

Number:

Number:

725-1923

313-5500

313-5014

313-6900

313-6879

313-5512

The third through fifth grade student ambassadors from Hammond, BushyPark, Waterloo, Stevens Forest, Longfellow, and West Friendship Elementary Schools decidedto pool their resources and talents to develop a video that provides a guide for students an howto help the homeless. The video shows the many activities that were planned and implementedat each school. The activities explained in the video includekl:

4 7

Fundraisers - ranging from clothing drives to collecting money to meet a specificneed at CASA and Grassroots Shelters.

Lobbing and Working with the News Media to Promote Public Awareness(including letters to delegates and senators)

Public Awareness Presentations to teachers and students

Distribution of student-made materials to members of the community to heightentheir awareness and sensitivity to the needs of homeless families in HowardCounty.

School: Deep Run Elementary SchoolPrincipal: Dr. James Pope Telephone Number: 313-5000Student Initiative: Famous Favorites Cookbook and Campaign for the Children

The fourth and fifth grade student ambassadors at Deep Run ElementarySchool planned and implemented two initiatives to help homeless families and the childrenresiding at Grassroots Shelter. The student initiatives were Famous Favorites Cookbook, a yearlong project, and Campaign for the Children, a short-term project. The Famous FavoritesCookbook initiative involved writing letters to "famous people" and the school staff for theirfavorite recipes. The students are planning to compile all the recipes into a Famous FavoritesCookbook. The cookbook will be sold throughout the community, with a special dedication tothe families at Grassroots Shelter and the proceeds will be donated to the shelter. The secondinitiative, Campaign for the Children, involved collecting school supplies, toiletry items, smallstuffed animals, and boola for the homeless children and their families. The collection drivewas implemented for one month.

School: St. John's Lane Elementary SchoolPrincipal: Yvonne Harrison Telephone Number: 313-2813Student Initiative: Kids Making A Difference For Kids

The fourth grade talent pool students at St. John's Lane Elementary Schoolprovided public awareness and planned and implemented some exciting schoolwide initiativesthat will benefit homeless children and their families in the Howard County community. The15 student ambassadors conducted interviews, researched the subject of homelessness, viewedthe video, "Shelter Boy," and visited Grassroots Shelter prior to planning the followinginitiatives:

Beginning "Pen Pals" with Grassroots Crisis Intervention in Howard County.Children of 3rd and 4th grade level will be invited to send letters to the childrenliving in the shelter. Only the first name, age and sex of the child will beprovided.Involvement in "Special Friends Program" with Grassroots. We will volunteerone hour, twice weekly, in two different groups to lead special activities for thechildren at the shelter.Beginning a business partnership with local businesses to arrange for special

37

48

donations to homeless shelters. This will require correspondence with localshelters to determine special needs. (We have begun this for several.) For someitems, a special donation drive can be conducted from the community.Conducting insetvice awareness sessisong for the faculty of the school and the ETAto share what has been learned and what future goals we have and how they canhelp us attain them.Create a yid= with an original screenplay highlighting positive attitudes inworking with homeless students and shelters. Plot idea centers around *Princeand Pauper" theme where two children by circumstance are forced to switchplaces and learn a valuable lesson.


Prince George's County

Langley Park/McCormick Elementary SchoolDr. Patricia Kelly Telephone Number: 445-0515Emergency Family ShelterWe Make SMILES

The second, third, and fourth grade student ambassadors at LangleyPark/McCormick Elementary School visited their feeder shelter and decided to implement thefollowing activities that involved participation from everyone in the school:

Artwork to help beautify the w,.is of the public rooms.

Bound and laminated books containing original stories and pictures for useby the children at the shelter while waiting for their parents who attendclasses in parenting, job hunting skills, and checkbook management.

Birthday cards and birthday boxes filled with favors, small gifts, books,candy, etc. for children who have birthdays while living at the shelter andattending our school.

In addition to these activities, the student ambassadors were joined byrepresentatives of the student council as they planned and implemented the following activitiesto heighten the awareness of students and staff:

Viewing of "Shelter Boy" by faculty and a report about the StudentInitiative concept given by the sponsor ("Shelter Boy" was also madeavailable to teachers for viewing by their classes).

Morning announcements, made by students, focused on informationprovided at the conference and information obtained after visiting thefeeder shelter.

38


Seat Pleasant .Ekannitary SchoolJulia H. Wright Tele *one Number: 925-8770Shepard's CoveSeat Pleasant Easter Hunt and Party

The fourth, fifth, and sixth grade student ambassadors met with the shelterdirector and teachers from Seat Pleasant who regularly volunteer their time at the shelter todiscuss the needs of the families and children. They decided to combine the Easter Holiday withthe needs of the homeless children residing at Shepard's Cove.

The first grade made Easter cards. The third grade made signs to brighten the shelterand the sixth grade decorated the baskets, which were shoeboxes. The boxes were filled withitems bought with money made at a schoolwide bake sale. They raised $91.00 to buy supplies.The supplie-s included soap, washcloths, toothbrushes, toothpaste, jellybeans, coloring books,crayons, pens, pencils and word search books. In addition to these items, combs, punch, toysand candy were donated for the baskets. Representatives from the school took the baskets to theshelter for an Easter egg hunt and party. The children enjoyed the party. The initiative was sowell received that the students and staff at Seat Pleasant Elementary School plan to make thisan annual event.


Baltimore County

Lansdowne Elementary SchoolCarl T. Bochau Telephone Number: 887-1408Hearth HouseHelping Hearts and Hands

Lansdowne Elementary School' s fourth and fifth grade studentambassadorshave been very busy planning and implementing a series of activities that will help meet theneeds of families residing at Hearth House. First, the students me with the shelter director todiscuss the needs at the shelter and activities that the students at Lansdowne could plan andimplement. Next, the students decided on a theme and created a logo. The logo and theme,Helping Hearts and Hands, was displayed throughout the schooL

The student ambassadors planned a series of activities that would beimplemented throughout the school year. Therefore, school and community volunteers weresolicited for each activity. The Helping Hearts and Hands activities included the following:

Project Holiday: Raster baskets made for all the residents at HearthHouse; Mother's Day crafts made with the children; small efts torecognize birthdays.

Project Play: Students visit shelter for one hour every Tuesday to read tothe children and to provide games and recreational activities.

Project Landscape: Students and families from the community donatetime and talents to regularly clean up the yard at Hearth House.

39

Project Prepared: Faculty and Students collect and store school .5upplietfor incoming children from Hearth House.

Project Welcome: Homeless children attending Lansdowne Elementarywill receive a *We're So Glad You're Here" welcome packri, Thm packetwill contain school supplies, information about the school, promdures,extra-curricular activities etc. lin addition to the welcome packets, eachchild is assigned a "best buddy.*

School: Halethorpe Elementary SchoolPrincipal: Donald C. Gourley Telephone Number: 887-1406Feeder Shelter: Arbutus ShelterStudent Initiative: Have A Heart - Help the Homeless

The fourth and fifth grade student ambassadors at Halethorpe ElementarySchool eagerly shared the information provided at the conference with parents, teachers, andstudents, through discussions, displays, announcements, and a variety of activities. The studentsplanned and implemented the following monthly activities:

September: "Pennies for the Homeless"-- students bring in pennies to provide backpacks and school supplies for homeless students.

October: "Winter Warm Ups" provides mittens for children

December: "Sock It to Me" provides socks for shelter residents.

January-February: "All Wrapped Up for Winter" provides robes for shelter residents.

March-April: "Feed the Future" money is collected to provide baby formulas for theinfants and toddlers in the shelters.

May-June: "Up Close and Personal" school staff provides personal items such astoothpaste, shampoo, brushes etc., for shelter residents.

At the beginning of the school year, each grade will select the theme andmonth for their participation. Classes will be responsible for providing the items indicated forthat month and monthly visits will be made to our feeder shelter to take the items collected.

School: Dundalk Elementary SchoolPrincipal: Beverly Norwood Telephone Number: 887-7013Feeder Shelter: Family Crisis CenterStudent Initiative: Helping Hands for the Homeless

The three third, fourth, and fifth grade student ambassadors met with thedirector from Family Crisis Center and their sponsors to plan the following activities:

Provide books for library for children at the Family Crisis CenterCollect toiletry items for shelter residentsOrganize clothes at "Project Coveralls"

LO51

The students advertised and coordinated all the activities for the Books andToiletries Collection Drives. In addition, students signed up to volunteer to organize clod= ata local church where "Project Coveralls" is housed. Project Coveralls provides clothes to needyfamilies.


Reisterstown Elementary SchoolDena S. Love Telephone: 887-1133YWCA Corner House - Reisterstown ShelterBooks for Others

The fourth grade student ambassadors at Reisterstown Elementary Schoolorganized a book drive for the children living at the Reistertown Shelter. This student initiativewas adopted as a fourth grade project. Two fourth grade classes made big books on poetry andblack history and organized a collection drive so that classmates could donate books for childrenof all ages. Students from both classes decorated boxes to store the books. The book3 wereplaced in the shelter's playroom.


Franklin High SchoolKenneth Flikinger Telephone Number: 887-1119YWCA Corner House - Reisterstown ShelterThe Corner House Project

The class of 1992 has adopted The V WCA Corner House Shelter andstudents from the class visit the shelter regularly to help implement the following activitiesthroughout the school year:

School Supply and Toiletry DrivesMonthly Everybody's Birthday PartyTutoring and Reading SessionsOrganized Play SessionsClass leaders organize the activities sponsored by the class of 1992 and

everyone in the class is encouraged to visit the shelter and volunteer for the planning andlorimplementation of the activities.


Relay Elementary SchoolWilliam A. Beckwith Telephone Number: 8874426YWCA Corner House - Arbutus ShelterWelcome Students and Friends

The fourth and fifth grade student ambassadors, school nurse, teacher,pupil personnel worker, and a parent representative visited the feeder shelter to discuss with theshelter director the needs of the children residing at the YWCA Corner House Shelter.Following the visit, the student ambassadors organized two teams. One team plannal activitiesto heighten the awareness of teachers, parents, and the children at Relay. The second teamdeveloped and produced a video that welcomes new students to Relay Elementary. The video,"Welcome Students and Friends", is narrated by the children and provides a sneak preview ofhow "neat' it is to be a student at Relay Elementary. A copy of the video was given to theshelter director and pupil personnel worker to share with school age children residing at theshelter. In addition to the activities, the students collected school supplies and made *WelcomePackets" for each new student.

41 5 2

Exemplary PracticesLocal School District's Exemplary Practices

Ea,ch year, the Maryland State Department of Education sponsors a conference foreducators, parents, providers, and advocates. The purpose of the conference is to heighten theawareness about the impact of homelessness on the lives of Maryland's homeless families andchildren, to encourage shelter - school partnerships, and to identify interventicm strategies thataddress the special needs of homeless children anf4 youth. A local school system that hasdemonstrated an exemplary practice in addressing the needs of its homeless children is invitedto co-sponsor the conference with the Maryland State Department of Education. As co-sponsor,the local school system's exemplary practice is acknowledged through a display and a specialaward that is presented during the plenary activities of the conference. The following localschool systems have been recipients of the Exemplary Practice Recognition Award.

Baltimore County Public Schools

Exemplary Practice: Assigmnent of Pupil Personnel Workers to transitional and emergencyshelters and motels to facilitate the immediate enrollment of homelc<s students

Homeless families are very transient and very often the children will miss extendedperiods of time from school because the parent is unable to follow the procedures necessary toenroll the child in school. Perhaps, the stress of homelessness is so great that enrolling the childis not very high on the parent's list of priorities; or, both parent and child have apprehensionsabout transferring to yet another new school.

Baltimore County Public Schools has assigned pupil personnel workers to each of theemergency and transitional shelters and emergency motels where homeless families reside in thecounty. The role of the pupil personnel worker is to serve as a liaison between the shelters andschools and to assist homeless parents in the immediate enrollment of their children in school.When a homeless family enters the shelter or motel, the pupil personnel worker is notified thesame day. The pupil personnel worker visits the family, makes all the arrangements for thechild's enrollment in the school, assists parents with the completion of all forms, and meets withthe child to discuss the new school. The pupil personnel workers coordinate the School DaysDrive at the feeder schools each year; therefore, a Welcome Packet, filled with school supplies,is made available for each child.

Baltimore City Public Schools

Exemplary Practice: Commitment to provide transportation for homeless children backto their home schools.

Our statistics indicate that many homeless children change schools 5-6 different timeswithin a school year. The instability of the homeless child's school situation makes it verydifficult for teachers to provide continuity in the child's educational program and for the childto maintain peer relationships.

42 5 3

Baltimore City Public Schools has made the commitment to provide transportatim forhomeless children attending a school in Baltimore City to return to their home school (the schoolthe child attended prior to becoming homeless). The home school, however, must be within theBaltimore City local jurisdiction.

If transportation is needed, the shelter director or p_.:ent notifies the Transportation Officeand within 1-2 days, transportation is arranged for the child back to the home school. Thechildren are transported using public transportation or taxi service to and from the shelter andschool.

Si43

Exemplary PracticesLF..SSON PLAN: What Does It Mean To Be Homeless?

Teacher: Judith A. CheekSchool: Relay Elementary SchoolLocal School District: Baltimore County

GRADE LEVEL

Third thru fifth grades

LESSON OBJECTIVE

The participants will become more aware of the effects of homelessness on the livesof school children.

MATERIALS

tagboard with the lesson's objective written on itdoll housedoll house furniture

- cardboard figures symbolizing 2 parents and 2 children, and a pet- yellow squares and red squares made from tagboard- masking tape

bed sheetoverhead projector

- transparencies and marking pens

STRATEGIES AND PROCEDURES

A student will be chosen to read the lesson's objective.

2. Students will use brainstorming as a technique to name as many kinds ofhomes/shelters as possible (e.g., row houses, tents, apartments, igloos).

Students will be presented with a cardboard family, doll house, and doll housefurniture.

4. Students will be asked to list activities that occur in any given household,

5. The teacher will record student responses on an overhead transparency.

6. A bed sheet will suddenly be thrown over the doll house.

7 Students will be asked to look under their chairs to determine if they are nowhomeless (yellow squares) or not (red squares).

S. Students will be asked to offer possible causes for how they became homeless aswell as how it feels to be homeless.

9. Students will then discuss how the life of a family is disrupted when the familybecomes homeless.

10. Students will share ideas on what options are available to a family who suddenlyfinds itself homeless and how these might affect members of the family thrumanipulation of doll house figures.

11. The teacher will then use transparencies to present the names of shelters and theircorresponding feeder schools and information concerning their utilization.

12. Red square students will be asked how they might make the transition of any newstudent (including a student from a shelter) a bit easier.

13. The teacher will prompt students to summarize the main components of thelesson.

FOLLOW-UP

The following day, mature students could view the video "Shelter Boy" anddiscuss it. This video is available through the Maryland State Department ofEducation.

2. The teacher could locate appropriate short stories pertaining to feelings ofloneliness or social isolation. He/she could then read these materials aloud tostudents. A class discussion could follow.

3. The guidance counselor could design an activity to reinforce concepts covered intoday's lesson.

EVALUATION

1. Students will exhibit behaviors that demonstMe the acceptance of individualdifferences in general.

2. Students will exhibit behaviors that demonstrate their better understanding ofpeople who are homeless.

45 5 6

LESSON PLAN: What Does It mean To Be Homeless?

Assistant Principal: Florence WigginsSchool: Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. Elementary SchoolLocal School District: Baltimore City

GRADE LEVEL

Fourth thru sixth grades

GOAL

To create awareness of the effects of homelessness on the lives of school children

OBJECTIVE

Students will be able to answer the following questions about homelessness.

1. What does it mean to be homeless?2. Who are our homeless?3. Why do people become homeless?4. Where do homeless people live?5. What are the types of shelters?6. What shelters are in our community?7. How can we help homeless children and their families?

MATEL! .ALS

* Video - "Shelter Boy"* letter cards for the word "homelessness"* chart paper* markers* dice* game board, sectioned and numbered as shown

1 math 2 trivia 3 movie

4 lang. 5 science , 6 music

PROCEDURES

A. Motivation Play a board game. Call a child to throw a dice. When the dicelands, ask a question from the category that matches the "up" number on the dice.If the question is answered correctly, have the child turn over one letter card.Continue/repeat until all cards have been turned. Have the children read theword. (Homelessness)

5 7

1. Share the objective for the lesson (We will answer questions abouthomelessness).

2. Present each question, one at a time.3. Record the children's responses on chart paper (brainstorming).4. Review the responses, adding to them the facts on homelessness.5. Show the video entitled "Shelter BoyTM.

SUMMARY/EVALUATION

Give several statements, one at a time, and have the children identify the question eachstatement answers.

47 SS

LFSSON PLAN: What Does It Mean To Be Homeless?

Mastei Teacher: Joan CourseySchool: Malcolm X Primary SchoolLocal School District: Baltimore City

GRADE LEVEL

Primary Grades

OBJECTIVE

The students will be able to tell the effects of homelessness on the lives of schoolchildren.

MATERIALS

- Puppet (Seeme)VCR and video, "SHELTER BOY"Original poem: HOW WOULD YOU FEEL?Overhead projector and transparenciesRed circles and blue squaresMagic markers and story paper

MOTIVATION

Using the character of Seeme the Puppet, the children will listen to the plight ofhomeless children as Seeme reads the following poem:

HOW WOULD YOU FEEL?

How would you feel?To live in a placewhere Daddy can't stay.To sleep on a bed one nightThen to move on the next day?

How would you feel?To sit in a classroomand stare at each new face...Wondering if they will like meOr call me names, in this place?

How would you feel?To move every single dayIn search of a new bed...Or to sleep out in the streetWhen we are too late to be fed?

48 5;i

How would you feel?To want to stay with Daddy,And to walk the street all night...And not to have a real bathroomBut knowing someday we'll be alright?

Discuss with the children how the poem made them feel and why.

PROCEDURES

The children will view the video, SHELTER BOY, to understand that the familybecame homeless because of natural disaster.

The children will be grouped according to the geometric symbol on the program,and they will discuss the reactions of the children in the video to the homelessboy's.

Using transparencies, the teacher will display drawings that show how homelessfamilies live and discuss with the children how each situation affects the child inthe drawing.

example: Picture of many families in a large crowded room and achild sitting on a cot trying to do homework.

The teacher will show pictures of Springhill Transitional Housing and discuss theprogram offered at this shelter in the neighborhood of the Malcolm X PrimarySchool.

The children will return to their group format and brainstorm ways in which thestudents of Malcolm X School could reach out and share with the children atSpringhill Housing.

The ideas were shared with the principal, and as a result, the whole school brought in penniesfor our homeless friends. Two television stations and the Mayor visited the school to witnessthis sharing. The funds came to over three hundred dollars, and we presented the monies to thedirector of the Springhill Shelter during a special program. The monies were to be used topurchase items for the children at the shelter.

SUMMARY/EVALUATION

Ask each child to share one thing that he/she learned about homelessness.

CITY IN THE SKY I F:

If there was a city in the sky

It would be a happy place

It would be filled

With all kinds of people

With toys for me to play with

With books for me to read.

People would be dancing

Ali of the time

And everyone would have a home.

chorus: With love we'll bring the city down

Onto earth's humble ground

Joining hearts and hands and hopes

We'll spread joy all around.

If there was a city in the sky

There would be enough

Food to feed everyone

There'd be books

Where stories came alive

There'd be Jobs for everyone,

There'd be enough money to survive.

chorus If there was a city in the sky

There'd be peace for everyone

And the city would spread love

Me a golden sun.

Song created by the children at the Students Helping StudentsConference with the assistance of Susan Yaruta, poet, andTeresa Whitaker, musician.

6 1BEST COPY AVAILABLE

Documents

DOCUMENT RESUME ED 348 437 UD 028 794 TITLE … · TITLE Educating Homeless Children and Youth: How Are We. ... and youth and a summary of the existing bathers and ... community leaders,